TEEING OFF: Saying farewell to Duke

Like most private golf club professionals, Richard “Duke” Kimball had hundreds of personalities, in this case, one for each Hopewell Valley Golf Club member.

However, Duke, owned one charming, boyish smile for everybody, a glee spread that that reflected his blessed opportunity to etch out a living with a game taught to him by his father.

Kimball, in turn, passed along his knowledge, especially to talented players like Kelly Cramp, a two-time New Jersey State Amateur champion and Alicia Kapheim, one of Mercer County’s most celebrated golfers, too.

Kimball, 44, passed away in January. It took all this time for me to finally accept his passing, all this time to slip into a vehicle and drive up to a golf course where Kimball had learned his trade from former HVGC head golf pro Joe Conboy.

My heart, like so many other Hopewell Valley GC members’ and a legion of ones beating in golf professionals throughout the northeast, struggled with an understanding owned by my head -- Duke (and almost no one ever called this guy Richard) had passed away.

I had phoned ahead last week to P.J. Ulanich, not wanting to catch him off guard about feelings connected to his longtime friend.

“Of course, a complete surprise. You don’t plan for, don’t expect anything like this. It’s a curveball that you never see coming,” Ulanich confessed inside a tranquil HVGC grill room.

Usually, cooperating spring weather would attract hordes of members to the first tee but unseasonably cool temperatures have delivered an almost ghost town feel for this course established in 1927.

Not much busy time for Ulanich, a respite that allows visitations of memories about Duke Kimball.

Kimball arrived here in 1999, a year before Ulanich came on as part of Conboy’s golf crew.

“Since 2000, Duke and I were together a lot, especially in the spring and summer. It was usually six or seven days a week, from daybreak until dark. We spent more time with each other than with our families. And we became family, became brothers,” Ulanich added.

Kimball loved playing golf almost as much as he enjoyed teaching. That’s where this guy made his mark, especially with young players who started as chippers and putters then frequently became wonderfully successful, frequently as stars playing on the Hopewell Valley High School team.

It’s not Pike’s Peak but Hopewell Valley GC’s range sets above the clubhouse area in a spot Ulanich called “up on The Hill.”

Kimball made magic up there, especially for youthful minds who wanted to match his prodigious drives.

Ulanich said Duke Kimball enjoyed his position as a club professional, tending to individuals’ needs.

“You know, Duke knew how to read people. He could alter everything about himself for this member or that member. He knew people,” Ulanich said proudly.

I hope he read me right, understood that his energy for life and appreciation for people and golf earned my adoration.

On June 17, 2013, Hopewell Valley Golf Club will host a golf outing to benefit the Kimball family.

For information call 609-466-9070.

The best players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) will compete for a $1.5 million purse in the 54-hole, LPGA-sanctioned official event.

A week of pre-tournament events will lead three days of championship play starting Friday, May 31 and concluding Sunday, June 2.

The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer will be televised on the Golf Channel.

The 2013 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer – in association with Tanger Outlets The Walk, the Official Ticket Sponsor of the 2013 event – is offering three ticket options: Good Any-One-Day Grounds Ticket for $15; Weekly Grounds Pass for $30; and Weekly Clubhouse Pass for $60.